Kandinsky,
Complete Writings on ArtWassily Kandinsky, et al
Of all the giants of twentieth-century art, Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944)
was the most prolific writer. Here, available for the first time in paperback,
are all of Kandinsky's writings on art, newly translated into English.
Editors Kenneth C. Lindsay and Peter Vergo have taken their translations
directly from Kandinsky's original texts, and have included select interviews,
lecture notes, and newly discovered items along with his more formal writings.
The pieces range from one-page essays to the book-length treatises On the
Spiritual in Art (1911) and Point and Line to Plane (1926), and are arranged
in chronological order from 1901 to 1943. The poetry, good enough to stand
on its literary merits, is presented with all the original accompanying
illustrations. And the book's design follows Kandinsky's intentions, preserving
the spirit of the original typography and layout.Kandinsky was nearly thirty
before he bravely gave up an academic career in law for his true passion,
painting. Though his art was marked by extraordinarily varied styles, Kandinsky
sought a pure art throughout, one which would express the soul, or "inner
necessity," of the artist. His uncompromising search for an art which would
elicit a response to itself rather than to the object depicted resulted
in the birth of nonobjective art—and in these writings, Kandinsky offered
the first cogent explanation of his aims. His language was characterized
by its desire for vivification, of the infusion of life into mundane things.Considered
as a whole, Kandinsky’s writings exceed all expectations of what an artist
should accomplish with words. Not only do his ideas and observations make
us rethink the nature of art and the way it reflects the aspirations of
his era, but they touch on matters vital to the situation of the human
soul.

Wassily
Kandinsky 1866-1944 : The Journey to Abstraction (Big Series: Art)In 1910 Wassily Kandinsky made art history by painting the first wholly
non-representational picture. This monograph traces the evolution of non-representational
art and describes the achievement of one of the foremost Modernist artists
and innovators.
Ulrike Becks-Malorny
Paperback: 200 pages Publisher: Taschen (February 1, 1995) Language: English ISBN-10: 3822890456

Kandinsky : Watercolours and Other Works on PaperFrank Whitford
Vasily Kandinsky was one of the most pivotal figures in the development
of modernist painting. He was born in the mid 19th-century, and by the
time of his death in 1944 he had played a key role in revolutionizing the
nature of European painting, and laying the groundwork for future movements.
Most significant among his contributions to high modernism are his involvements
with the Blue Rider group, Russian constructivism, and the later years
of the Bauhaus. By the end of 1910 Kandinsky had developed a purely abstract
style--arguably one of the first--in his paintings, particularly the watercolors.

This beautiful book, designed to accompany the first full-scale exhibition
of Kandinsky's work in London at the Royal Academy of Arts, traces his
development from an unremarkable painter of Russian folk scenes to the
geometrically precise and clinical draftsman of the later abstract creations.
His image-making culminated during his final years with paintings of strangely
micro-organic-looking works. Art historian Frank Whitford's introductory
essay charts Kandinsky's career with wonderful lucidity, and is particularly
good on the tension between the artist's theory and practice. He is less
clear on the significance of the works on paper and outlining Kandinsky's
legacy; but perhaps the book will provide the possibilities for just such
a reassessment of the painter's standing within the history of modern art.
--Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk212 pages, 1999. 168 colour illustrationsOut of Print - Try Used
Books